Propeller



PROPELLER.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 8, i920.

1,388,791., Patented July 5, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET l.

T. A. DICKS.

PROPELLER.

APPLICATION FxLED JAN. a, |920.

LSSSRQL Patented July 5,1921.

-3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

1L- EL 44 I T. A. DICKS.

PROPELLER.

APPLICATION FILED IAN. 8, I92o.

Patented July 5, 1921.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3 NVENTOR A army/l0 uNlTEosTATES PATENT orner..

THOMAS A DICKS, 0I' PITTSBURGH, PENNYLvANIA,'ASSIGNO T0 STANDARD STEEL PROPELm COMPANY, 0F PITTSBURGH, PENNgYLVANIA..

Patented July 5, 1921.

rnorntmn.

1,333,791, Specification of Letters Patent. v l

l y Application illed January 8, 192,0. Serial No. 350,207.

-To all whom tl/may concern.'

Be it known that I, THOMAS A. Dicks, a subject of Great Britain, and residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and Statelof Pennsylvania, -have `invented certain new and useful Improvements in Proellers; and I do hereby 4declare the folowing to be a'full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appert'ains vto make and use the same.

This'invention relates to improvements in propellers and more particularl to that type in which the blades4 are adjustable,- objects kof the invention being to provide simple and efficient means whereby a propeller having -a metallic hub and unetallic blades may be angularly adjusted so as to change thepitch of the blades as desired and positively secure the blades in the positions to which they ma be adjusted and to so construct the prope ler and its adjusting mechanism that the degree of pitch of the blades may he decreased when themachine is starting; increased when the machine is flying, and so thatthe blades may be adjusted to no pitch or zero and so that the pitch may be. reversed to facilitate the slowing down of an aeroplane or dirigible vafter landing, in order to land within a small area.

With these and -other objects in view, the invention consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations of parts as hereinafter set forth and'pointedout in the vP into the lnner end of the tubular blade and claims.

In the accompanying drawings; Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation and partlyin section and broken away, illustrating an embodiment of my invention; Fig. 2 isa view in section on the line 2-2 of Fig.- 1; Fig. 3 is an end view; Fig. 4 is an elevation of a propeller and adjusting mechanism for the blades thereof; Fig. 5 is a longitudinal section of the metallic tubev before being formed into a propeller blade; Fig. 8 is an fend view of the same,'and Figs. 6, 7 and 9 are views illustrating one ofthe metallic blades.

1 represents a portion'ofthe engine body or crank case o an aeroplane, and 2 the engine shaft to which the propeller is attached. The hub 3-of'the propeller (a portion 3a of which may have an angular exterior) is secured to the engineI shaft in any suitable manner and it may be composed of a hollow steel forging having tubular arms 1 4 which enter the inner cylindrical ends of tubular-blades' 5 and on which arms, said blades are mounted in a manner to permit their angular adjustment. Each blade mag7 vbe made from a steel tube 6 (Figs. 5 and 8 and formed by' any suitable method to the shape shown in Figs. 6, 7 and 9.

l A sleeve 7 is threaded on each hub arm and extends approximately to the outer end of the latter. The outer endl portion of this sleeve is recessed to receive bearing rings 8 anda ring 9is threaged on the outer end of the sleeve to retal "said bearingrings in place. A bearing ring 10 is located within the tubular blade and between the ring -10 and the rings 8, 4anti-friction balls 4T11 are located. A sleeve 12 is threaded into the tubular blade, rearwardly of the sleeve 7 and between these sleeves, bearing rings 13 and 14 are disposed and spaced apart to receive anti-friction devices, (such as cone rollers 15) between them, anda ring 16 may be disposed in the blade so as to surround the cones 15. Rearwardly of the sleeve 12 and engaged by the rear end thereof, a bearing ring 17 is located within the blade anda bear# ing ring 18 is located Ain an annular recess in the hub arm, anti-friction balls 19 being vdisposed between these bearing rings.

sleeve 20 on the hub arm is disposed between the bearing rings. 13 and 19 to prevent dislacement thereof. A ring 21 is threaded retains the bearing ring 17 in place. A screw indicated at 22 may be passed through the.

wall of thetubular blade and made to enter the sleeve 7 to hold the parts in position while assembling the bearing ldevices.

It will be seen that the tubular blades are mounted on the hub arms in such manner as to msure free turning thereof lfor ad- 'usting purposes and that the thrust of the in .With these pins, adjusting mechanism cooperates to effect adjustment of the blades and this mechanism will now be explained.-

n the present in.

' ter being secured to the A sleeve 25 is' slidingly mounted on the hub 3 and is provided with arms 26 movable against two fiat sides' of the an ular portion 3a of said hub,-sad arms eing guided in by plates 27 rigidly secured to 4 the hub portion 3a and overlyingthe arms 26. Angular lugs 28 are made rigid with the arms 27 (preferably integral therewith) andthe outwardly projecting members of said lugs are made with elongated slots 29 to receive the pins 23 at the inner ends of the blades. The sleeve 25 is made with two annular flanges 30, 30, forming an annular groove between them which receives bearing rings 31. A ring 32 surrounds the flanged portion of the sleeve 25 and receives a bearing ring 33 and between the latter and the bearing rings 31, antifriction balls 34 are located. Means are provided (as hereinafter explained) for shifting the ring 32 to slide the sleeve 25, and in order to prevent possibility of cramping of the bearing devices between these members, the groove in the ring 32 is such as to make the internal diameter appreciably greater than the external diameter of the bearing ring 33, as indicated at 34, Fig. 1. The shifting ring is provided with arms 35 having holes through which screws 36 are threaded. rllhese screws are mounted to turn in bearings 37 on a bracket 38, the latengine body or crank case l. Pinioiis 39 are secured to the rear ends. of the screws 36 and mesh with a Ting gear 40 lmounted on the bracket 38,-ballbearing devices 4l being disposed between said ring gear and an annular flange 42 on the bracket,-said flange serving, in e'ect, as a hub for said ring gear. A shaft 43 is mounted in the bracket 38 and has secured thereto, a gear 44 disposed in the bracket 38 and meshing with the ring gear 40. rllhe shaft 43 may be extended to a position 'within convenient reach of a navigator and may be provided with any suitable hand device to facilitateits manipulation.

lt will be apparent that if theshaft 43 be turned, motion will be transmitted, through the gearing and the screws 36 to the shifting ring 32 to slide the sleeve 25 and that the sliding of this sleeve will transmitmotion, through the arms 26, lugs 28 and pins 23- to the blades to turn the latter about their axes and thus adjust the angularity of the blades.

With the use of the mechanism hereinbefore described, the angularity of the blades may be adjusted at any desired pitch as may be found desirable, or adjusted so that they ywill have no pitch or their pitch reversed.

To whatever adjustment the blades may be set, they'will be eectually locked in such adjustment by the action of the screws 36.

arious changes might be made in the details of construction of my invention, withweaver out departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope, and hence ll do not ywish to restrict myself to the precise details herein set forth.

Having fully described my invention what l claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A propeller comprising a hub having arms, blades havingl tubular portions receiving said arms and mounted to turn thereon, adjusting means for said blades mounted on the outside of the hub and engaging exterior parts of the blades, and means foi' operating said adjusting means.

2. rlhe combination of a propeller hub, hollow blades, arms on the hub entering said blades and providing revoluble mountings for the latter, manually controlled adjusting means mounted on said hub and connected with said blades for effecting angular adjustment thereof, and means for operating said adjusting means.

3. rlFhe combination with a propeller hub and angularly adjustable blades carried thereby, of a sleeve mounted toslide on said hub and having approximately diametrically opposite arms, slotted lugs projecting from said arms, pins carried by the blades and entering the slots of said lugs, and means for moving said sleeve longitudinally of the hub.v

4. 'llhe combination with a propeller hub having arms, and propeller blades having revoluble mountings on said arms, of a sleeve mounted to slide on said hub, arms on said sleeve, slotted lugs on said arms, pins on said blades entering the slots of said lugs, and means for sliding said sleeve to edect angular adjustment of the blades.

5. rllhe combination with a propeller hub and angularly adjustable blades connected therewith, of arms mounted to slide onsaid hub, pin-and-slot connections between said arms and the blades, and means for movin said arms longitudinally on the hub to e feet angular adjustment of the blades.

6. rlhe combination with a propeller hub viet andV angularly adjustable blades connected Y hub, connections between said arms and the propeller blades whereby the latter may be angularly adjusted when said arms are moved relatively to the hub, and means including a screw for sliding said armsv to lill@ plates secured to the hub and overly- I edect angular adjustment of the blades and is@ for locking said arms against movement to hold the blades in the positions to which they may be adjusted 8. The combination with a propeller hub and angularly adjustable blades connected sleeve is rotatable, screws having threaded.

connections with said shifting ring, pinions carried by said screws, a gear meshing with said pinions, aV driving gear meshing with said'irst-mentioned gear, and means for turmng said driving gear. A

9. The combination with a propeller hub and angularly adjustable blades connected therewith, of a sleeve mounted to slide on the hub, arms carried by said sleeve, alongside the hub, pin-and-slot connections between said arms and the blades for eiect ing angular adjustment of the latter when said sleeve and arms are moved, a supporting bracket, a shifting ring encircling said sleeve, anti-friction devices between said shifting ring and said sleeve, screws having threaded connections with the shifting ring and mounted on said bracket, pinions secured to said screws, a gear ring mounted on said bracket and meshing with said pinions, bearing devices for said gear ring, a driving gear mounted on said bracket and meshing with said gear ring, and an operating shaft for said driving gear.

l0. ln a propeller, the combination with `blades having tubular inner end portions,

and a hub provided with arms entering the tubular inner end portions of the blades, anti-friction bearing devices within said blades and around the hub arms and acting to withstand end thrust ofthe blades and to insure free turning of sald blades about their axes, sliding means mounted on the hub and connected with the blades to effect angular adjustment of the latter, and manually controlled means for operating said sliding means.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS A. DICKS.

Witnesses:

R. S. FERGUSON, E. I. NOTTINGHAM. 

